Overview
It has been a week marked by the forging of interesting synergies in Asia-Pacific aviation. The Air NZ-Air China alliance received regulatory clearance,while across the Tasman Qantas injected fresh funds into its Jetstar Japan venture. On the Mainland, China Eastern and Delta celebrated their deepening ties and confirmed details of their trans-Pacific partnership while at the country’s lessors, robust demand and healthy first-half earnings alleviated investor fears amid continued market volatility regionally and across the globe. In Russia, the country’s two largest carriers, Aeroflot and Transaero, have felt the pinch from 24 months of sanctions and decided to merge to survive.
China-Oceania alliances cleared for take-off Read More »
Airline News
China Eastern last Tuesday finalized the details of its partnership with Delta Air Lines after the U.S. carrier purchased a $450 million, 3.55% stake in China Eastern in early August. “You’ll be able to fly from any city that China Eastern serves in China to any city Delta serves in the U.S.,” Delta chief Richard Anderson said at the signing ceremony in Shanghai. Read More »
Airline News
Radical revamp in Russia as carriers merge
In the same week Aeroflot and Transaero announced their merger, Russia and the Philippines signed an upgraded air services agreement. As well, Aeroflot and Transaero have both applied for slots between Moscow and Manila. Read More »
Airline News
Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB), the new entity spawned from crisis-stricken Malaysia Airlines (MAS), has been granted its air operator’s certificate (AOC) by Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), following months of audit activity, including airworthiness operations, MRO conformance and regulatory conformity, the airline said. Read More »
Airline News
China Southern reports record profit and access to new funds
Guangzhou’s China Southern Airlines last week posted a 3.48 billion yuan ($547 million) first-half net profit, reversed from a 1.02 billion net loss in the corresponding year-ago period. The SkyTeam carrier said growing international business, lower fuel costs and reduced currency losses were the main reasons for the record performance. Read More »
Airline News
Mainland lessors take centre stage in investment talks
Following months of negotiations, HNA Group’s Bohai Leasing last week agreed to acquire Dublin-based lessor, Avolon Holdings Ltd, for $31 a share. Read More »
Airline News
Mainland Digest: Spring and Ruili expand and Pudong Shanghai airport posts record profits
The Mainland’s first private low-cost carrier, Shanghai Hongqiao-based Spring Airlines, is looking overseas for growth. Read More »
Short Takes
AIRLINES: Etihad Airways is seeking $500 million in loan facilities for fleet expansion, two sources have told Bloomberg. PAL Express is looking to replace its existing fleets of Dash 8-300s and Dash 8-400s with newer models of the same type, PAL chief, Jaime Bautista, told Reuters. Korea’s T’way Air has been granted a Foreign Air Carrier Permit (FACP) by the U.S. Department of Transportation; initially, the LCC will operate a daily Incheon-Guam B737-800 service from September 24. Read More »
People
Dragonair’s CEO, Algernon Yau (57), has been appointed an executive director of Cathay Pacific Airways, with effect from September 7. His appointment follows the resignation of James Barrington, who is now Group Director Air Frame Services at Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO). Read More »
